1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information delivery system and an information delivery method in which a portable terminal using a short-distance wireless system, particularly, Bluetooth is employed and a mobile unit, a server, and an information delivery terminal for use in the information delivery system and method, and in particular, to an information delivery system and an information delivery method in which information meeting needs of a user is delivered to the portable terminal without imposing any load on the user while guaranteeing high security and a mobile unit, a server, and an information delivery terminal for use in the information delivery system and method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, an information delivery service has been developed using wireless communication. For such a wireless communication system, Bluetooth is available. In Bluetooth, authentication of a user is beforehand conducted using a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to allow communication between terminals. However, an information delivery system adopting Bluetooth is attended with problems as below.
First, an information delivery side cannot determine a user and does not include any unit to confirm needs of users. Therefore, the delivery side sends information to the users in a one-sided way, i.e., according to only his or her decision. Users cannot necessarily receive desired information from the information delivery side.
Second, the user side does not include any device to determine an information delivery terminal used to obtain therefrom information desired by the user. Therefore, it is necessary for the user side to first establish a Bluetooth link to all information delivery terminals. The user side then selects an information delivery terminal desired by the user. This is troublesome in operation and there may occur a disadvantage of establishing a link or connection to an information delivery terminal not desired by the user.
As above, in the conventional information delivery system utilizing Bluetooth, the information delivery side cannot determine any particular user and hence transmits information only to the users in a one-sided way. On the side of users, it is difficult to receive information meeting needs of the user. To attain information from the information delivery side, it is required for the user side to accept a connection request from any information delivery side, the information delivery module being not particularly specified in advance. This leads to a problem of security. There also arises a problem of load imposed on the user side. For example, when many connection or link requests are received, it is necessary for the user side to select therefrom a desired one of the terminals on the information delivery side.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Ser. No. 2001-103003 filed before the present invention describes a technique in which an information providing side sends a message to a mobile unit satisfying a condition to urge a visit before the mobile unit makes a visit.
In accordance with the technique of this article, there is provided an information providing system for mobile units including a plurality of mobile units, a plurality of information providing terminals, and an information center. The information center includes a mobile unit information database having recorded information of the mobile units and a required condition database having stored a required condition for a mobile unit desired by the information providing side. Using the databases, the information center determines a mobile unit required by the information providing side and then sends information of the mobile unit to the information providing terminals. When the information is received, each information providing terminal displays on its display the information of the mobile unit, creates a message using the information, and sends the message to the mobile unit. Having received the message, the mobile unit displays the message on its display. As a result, the information is transmitted to only the mobile unit required by the information provider and is displayed on a display of the mobile unit.